Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
1 December 2008
Amateur golfer, Mpho Kelosiwang has catapulted himself to top of the Order of Merit through a consistent performance that saw him clinch the year-ending Phakalane Golf Classic recently.
He won the prestigious Championship Division at the Phakalane event to oust Diane Lucas who topped the competition last year. Kelosiwang scored 78, 75, and 76 gross in the two-day 54-hole event. Lucas of Orapa finished fifth with 79, 77 and 83 gross. Kelosiwang had to wait until the last few holes to open the small gap he needed to clinch the championship.
It was an icing on the cake for the player who has performed consistently during the year. He bagged the National Match Play and the Lobatse Open; and finished second in the Botswana Open, Francistown Open and Klipdrift Open. He was third in the Jwaneng Open.
In terms of the consistency I have been up there. In other events, I missed to win by whisker because I did not have ample time to practice due to my busy schedule at work.
Usually I would use the first round to get the feel of the course; but this time around (in Phakalane) I was well prepared. I had ample time to prepare for the challenge and worked with golf pro, Peter Carr, on my game," he said.
The golfer who is the new Botswana Golf Union (BGU) secretary general is not entirely happy with his overall score. "Phakalane was difficult to play due to wet conditions resulting from recent rains.
The ball did not run with speed on the turf so you had to hit long shots most of the time and rely on limited putting," he said. Kelosiwang is not new to topping the local golf charts.
He was number one in the Order of Merit in 2002 and 2005. Being the top player automatically means that he is in the national team for the next year's Zone VI Championships. Others will have to go through qualifiers to join the team.
Kelosiwang has represented Botswana in the last seven years in competitions like the All Africa Championships (2005, 2007), the World Amateur Team Championship (2006), Zone VI Championships (since 2002).
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